There are lots of things you can do to help your local environment and tackle the scourge of avoidable plastics. Tackling avoidable plastic is easy, just have a look around your kitchen, bathroom or even your office and see if there is anything you could get rid of or exchange for something more eco-friendly. Liquid soap for bars of soap perhaps, or packaged goods for refillable solutions?
If you can identify three items you can become a Plastic Free Ambassador (for communities), a Pioneer (for businesses) or a Champion (for schools).
All you need to do is complete the Plastic Free Plymouth Pledge and add in three things you’d like to do in future once you’ve got used to going ‘Plastic Free’.
How can you get involved?
Organisations across Plymouth are working together to tackle the issue of avoidable, single use plastics and plastic pollution. There are many ways you can get involved, Read our booklet below and get in touch with any of the amazing organisations inside.
What happens to your plastics recycling in Plymouth?
There are all sorts of other things you could do to help tackle avoidable plastics too.
Use a reusable cup
You could buy one of the new One Plymouth / Britain’s Ocean City branded reusable cups. These are available from a range of outlets in Plymouth or you can buy one on the One Plymouth website.
Take part in community action
You could volunteer to support the environment and take part in a litter pick in your local park or other green space by visiting our Volunteer with Nature page.
Recycle all you can
In Plymouth, most hard plastic items – such as milk bottles, plastic food punnets, and a lot of plastic packaging – can be recycled. Research by WRAP has found that more than 50 per cent of bathroom items –such as shampoo and shower gel bottles – are thrown in the bin when they could in fact be recycled. Find out all you can recycle on our What goes in each bin page.
What items can you recycle from around your home?
Here are a few other simple things you can do…
- When you’re shopping select fruit and veg that is free of wrapping or packaging. Many shops now offer paper bags instead.
- Buy in bulk and refill your original container as much as possible.
- Use the Refill Devon options available in town.
- Avoid plastic bags and invest in a cotton tote bag to take shopping. You’ll be helping to reduce the 5 billion plastic carrier bags used worldwide each year.
- Refuse avoidable plastic such as stirrers and plastic straws – both soon to be banned in the UK.
- Choose cotton buds with a paper centre – plastic ones will also be banned soon.
- Choose make up and baby wipes that are biodegradable …and please never flush them down the loo!
- Choose reusable cutlery and plates, or choose ones that can be recycled easily.
- Save documents online, phase out the use of plastic wallets and files.
- Reuse and recycle as much as possible – in Plymouth even black plastic trays can be rinsed and recycled. If something can’t be recycled easily check if there are any Terracycle collections nearby. They accept all sorts of commonly uncollected packaging such as crisp bags and biscuit wrapper.
- Take part in local beach cleans or litter picks. Whenever you are out walking or on the beach, complete a two minute beach clean or challenge yourself to find five items of waste plastic that can be disposed of properly in the nearby bins.